Flaming Wok & Teppan Yaki

The service was pathetic. We called to make a reservation, but were still made to wait an hour to get a table. Granted that we got there at a busy time, but then why give a reservation? Even after we got a table it took 15 minutes each to get soup and then salad. The food did not make up for the terrible service.

I think this is the best place in C’ville for Hibachi. Service was pretty slow for Hibachi, but quality of products used in the production was pretty good. Good for families — we will be back!

Okay, so I’ve been here a few times. It’s nice you can either have Chinese or Hibachi. Usually I’m here for the Hibachi. Personally I’ve not had a problem here, yes it’s a little lifeless and the location maybe isn’t the easiest to get to at times but food to me has always been tasty and the cooks are always good at doing their job.

3 stars is all I can give. They make you wait to fill the seating at the hibachi. Waited a long time… the sushi was as average as they come… nothing to write home about.
Once the grill was going the chef did a great job and my chicken teriyaki was delicious. I suggest just having the hibachi and no sushi.
The prices are a little better than Sakura’s but I guess you get what you pay for.

Oh boy, I trusted the person’s review that said this place has the best sushi in Charlottesville. Let me tell you I would not agree. Just to be sure, I did eat at another sushi place there and found it to be much, much better than here!
I ordered the chirashi to go and they put it in a metal/​aluminum container. Maybe they have something against plastic? Raw fish against metal seems a bit odd? There wasn’t much sashimi and one seemed a bit peculiar, so I didn’t eat it. First time that has happened to me.
Definitely a place I don’t intend on returning to!

Solid three stars. Here’s why…
Whenever I’m visiting my alma mater, THE University of Virginia, I’m usually visiting with my sorority sisters who are in town. One of them loves hibachi grills, so someway somehow, we always find ourselves at… you guessed it… Flaming Wok.
My last time visiting this establishment was a couple of weeks ago. I went with a group of women and a young girl. We arrived for a late lunch, so I wasn’t surprised to see that the restaurant was relatively empty. (Also, there was a UVA basketball game that afternoon, so of course everyone in town was at the game!)
The host seated us, and someone immediately took our drink and food orders. Then our waiter came out, and he was likeable. He was especially nice to the little girl who was with us, which we all appreciated.
That’s where my highlights end.
The restaurant itself was rather cold, in temperature and in attitude. No one was outright mean, but the atmosphere was kind of lifeless. Chalk it up to the restaurant being empty. Additionally, the prices were competitive with hibachi grills I’ve been to in the DC area, without being the same quality food. The portions aren’t as large or flavorful either.
I’m not adverse to going to this restaurant again. However, I’m more likely to go to their competitors in town to see what they have to offer.

Hands down best sushi in Chville! Awesome carry out service & if you decide to stay, defiantly do the teppan yaki.

Yummy taiwanese popcorn chicken with lots of basil. Too bad I ate most of it and drank all my beer before I took a picture. Definitely worth a visit for beer, teppanyaki and popcorn chicken.

I really love this place. My wife and I took our 4-​year old daughter there last night and totally enjoyed the chef’s performance as he prepared our delicious meal for us! The steak & chicken Teppan Yaki combo is only $ 13.95 on Wednesday nights, but we also love to go there as a gang to celebrate birthdays, too.
This is definitely our all-​time favorite Sushi place, too!

the people who work here are super nice but the place is too dirty for my comfort, and the food is okay… coming from Toronto, I have been spoiled with amazing and authentic Chinese food… the orange beef that I’m accustomed to features un-​breaded beef cooked in the most divine spicy orange sauce that you basically drink once the beef is gone. Here in the USA in general, I find that Chinese food is always breaded and always way too sweet… it doesn’t have to be this way people!
And I really miss my Chinese Chicken Balls with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Ah how I miss them.
Anyway, the vegetable fried rice was decent but the smell ultimately got to me after a while.

The smell of used cooking oil penetrates the whole building. They could have a nice restaurant again if they closed for a week, hired professional cleaners, and updated the menus a bit. As it is, do not waste time or money eating here. The preparation is interesting, but does not make up for the lack of quality in food and the pretty bleak furnishings.

Love the Tappan Yaki, neutral on the Chinese food. The Tappan Yaki, other than the same exact schtick by different chefs every time you attend, is delicious and filling. I agree with other reviews that say the vegetarian orders at the table are cooked along with the meat dishes using the same areas and utensils, but that doesn’t bother me. For those it would bother — do not eat here. The yum yum sauce is to die for. The Chinese food is neither great nor poor — but that seems to be standard in this town.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Flaming Wok. It was the first restaurant my wife and I ate at in C-​ville (a few years before we moved here). Back then they did Korean food instead of Teppan Yaki.
Invariably, two of our kids choose this for their birthday meals because they love the teppan yaki show. Thankfully I enjoy eating it.
The sushi is hit-​or-​miss, but because of the Chinese/​Japanese mix this is our go-​to delivery restaurant.

We love this place! Definitely try the teppanyaki with the filet (worth the extra!), chicken, and shrimp! Also– the cheese wontons are delicious. A couple could easily go and split the one teppanyaki meal and get an app and have more than enough to eat– its a huge meal. Nice staff and fun for a small party!

Our teppan yaki chef was new! He tried twice to catch the egg in his chef hat. On the 2^nd attempt, the egg rolled down his back and cracked on top of a baby’s head! Priceless!

good taste
need more hygiene
bad service
inattentive staff

Scallops got smaller (they no longer cut them up), so you get about 7 whole medium-​sized scallops.
V-​Day special: combo of filet mignon, tuna, and scallops for 2 ad some california rolls all for $ 44.95. What a killer deal! Because the portions are the same as the regular meals!
Scallops and filet mignon were definitely on par as usual, but tuna was too cooked to be enjoyed though =[
Noticed that the fried rice always requires some extra sauce to make it tasty.

The Flaming Wok is the best Teppan-​Yaki
Style restaurant in town. The chefs are better than the ones at Sakura, and they include the fried rice on the price. The other place does not offer the mustard sauce which is great on steak and shrimp.
Can’t go wrong when you Wok this way.

I’ve been coming here since at least 2000 if not longer but not so much the past couple of years. We were here 9÷12÷2010 for teppan yaki & sushi. The teppan yaki was excellent as always but the service left a lot to be desired. First it was slow, then they messed up the sushi orders and the appetizer orders. A tuna roll is not a yaki hamachi hand roll and I really don’t see how you can confuse the two in either the order taking or the order making (as I do not know where the confusion came in, but considering the other problems I am inclined to name the waitress as the culprit). Then there was the longish wait for the appetizers and the very long wait for the teppan yaki chef to arrive. It’s not as if we were waiting for more people to fill the table, it was full before the drinks order was taken.
The food however was delicious, if a bit heavy on onions in the veggies. The scallops were perfect and my medium rare steak was done correctly

Teppanyaki seems harder to judge compared to other restaurants. Not only do they offer you food, but also they give you a nice show to go with your food. With that said, there is another standard to judge, which is the presentation of your food being cooked.
I must say on the food side of things, it’s pretty good. I think this is one of the better teppanyaki places I’ve been to considering portions and the taste of the food, including the yum-​yum sauce (it sorta tastes better here). I actually think this is better than Sakura, which is all about class and flair but (in my opinion) lacks a bit on the food side. The only glaring weakness I think this place has is the sushi, but I don’t come here for sushi anyways.
On the other hand, the environment is pretty drab – the interior looks cramped and a little tacky while the exterior looks even worse. The performance that comes with your food is also very boring, as nearly all the chefs I’ve had at this place don’t really do anything special or talk to you very much. The service is also ordinary, nothing really stellar here.
Normally this would warrant just three stars, for being savory and sufficient but nothing special. However, I give it an extra star for being one of the better tasting teppanyaki places and being in Charlottesville; I’ve tasted teppanyaki in various locations (Northern Virginia to Myrtle Beach) and this is definitely one of my favorite places. In a sense, it’s become like «comfort food» but for teppanyaki because I know I’m always getting something hearty and good here.